JULY 2006
I was looking around the Audiogon web site a few weeks back and happened to click
on “Tweaks.” In retrospect, I sort of regret doing so.
I came upon several auctions for products from a company called “Machina
Dynamica.” Machina Dynamica, as I understand it, makes products under license
from a company called PWB Electronics. Anyone recall Peter Belt?
Is he back or did he just never leave?
I no longer have any magazines in my archives old enough to include articles referring
to Mr. Belt, so I searched the Stereophile website under “Peter Belt.” A number of
articles came up from the late 1980s and early 1990s and anyone who hasn’t read
them should take a moment to do so. Read L’Affaire Belt by J. Gordon Holt and you
will have a good idea of what Mr. Belt was doing at the time and the controversy that
ensued.
Image my surprise, then, to find items from Mr. Belt--via Machina Dynamica--currently
being offered on Audiogon. These products include the Clever Little Clock that
changes the sound within the room, Brilliant Pebbles, which are small glass jars full of
crystalline semi-precious stones that suck up excess acoustic energy, and Tru Tone
Covers, which are replacement duplex receptacle covers. Using the information link in
the auction information, I discovered what has become my favorite tweak, the Red ‘x’
Coordinate Pen. More information on these products, and others, as well as reviews,
can be found at www.belt.demon.co.uk. And unfortunately, also at the Positive
Feedback web site where I found at least two favorable reviews of these items*. Here
is a direct quote from the pen review at:
www.positive-feedback.com/Issue1/beltpen.htm
“Yes, dear reader, the pen works, and works brilliantly! Let me describe what I did, what I heard, and
more importantly, what an unsuspecting outside party heard when I performed my experiments. As
with any such phenomenon, hearing for yourself is believing. Do not discount what you are about to
read unless you are ready to try it yourself. According to the literature I received, the simplest way to
prove the efficacy of the pen is to sign your name on the outside cover of a compact disc. You use
your normal signature, and write it like this: Carol Clark > o.k. You need to include the "o.k." to
transfer beneficial thought patterns from yourself to the written message. I scoured my CD
collection, and found a CD I have two copies of, the La Femme Nikita soundtrack. Prior to altering
either of them, I listened to both to determine if they sounded the same, and they did. I set one
aside, and wrote my signature followed by "> o.k." on the case of the second one. You can also sign
the label side of the CD, and this will work with an LP as well, either by signing the jacket or the
label.
I chose a track from that CD that I am very familiar with, the song called "Gun" by the band GusGus.
(Incidentally, this soundtrack is from the television series, not the French movie.) When I listened to
both copies of the CD again, the results were so startling that I wrote detailed notes. Vocals on the
unsigned copy were hard and plastic sounding, and the high notes were razor sharp. I found myself
totally distracted, wishing for the song to end. The treated CD, on the other hand, provided beautiful,
mellow-sounding vocals. The high notes throughout were subdued, which enabled me to
concentrate on the music. I found the experience enjoyable. As in my earlier Peter Belt experiments,
I assumed I was subject to the power of suggestion. I was afraid that I had set myself up to hear
what I heard, and that I wanted to hear the treated CD in a positive light. This is where I called on my
unwitting accomplice, Dave. I used the eraser pen that was provided and erased my signature from
the case, thus letting him hear both untreated copies of the CD so he could satisfy himself that they
indeed sounded the same. I chose a different song, "Hanging On a Curtain" by Morphine, since it is
a song he is more familiar with. I gave him the red pen and asked him to sign his name, then
whisked both CDs away, out of his sight. We then talked for a few minutes, so that his mind would
turn away from the CDs. I played the treated CD first, and when it was done he indicated that it
sounded very good. The untreated CD went in next, and he almost immediately told me that it
sounded worse.”
>O.K.
Call me lacking in beneficial thought patterns but if the untreated CD sounded
identical to the treated CD before treatment and then sounded like crap after, wouldn’t
every other CD she owns now sound like crap, too? What if the CD wasn’t in the case
when she wrote on it? Would it still get treated? Why would erasing the CD case
un-treat the CD when removing the CD from the case to place it in the CD player
doesn’t affect it? Does reading this review make you want to laugh, cry, or both?
This review also includes a manufacturer’s response from a May Belt who suggests
that striking through the UPC codes with the Red ‘x’ Coordinate Pen on “any type of
product you find within your home” will further improve the sound of your audio
system. (I am assuming she is referring to an audio system here.) She notes, “You
will find the effect of doing so extraordinary.” She also suggests that writing the “o.k.”
in capital letters will make the improvement even greater. No I am not making this up.
How can anyone find any of this credible?
I should note here that I did not search the PF website for any letters, comments, or
other information regarding this review. I don’t know if PF spent any time defending,
disowning, or otherwise following up on it. I have mixed feelings regarding PF for
running this review. On the one hand, no matter what I, or anyone else, think about
this product, putting a review out there for everyone to read and draw their own
conclusions about is an intellectually honest thing to do. On the other hand, if I claim
that hitting each of my CDs with a special brick that only I know how to modify**
improves the sound, do I really deserve the credibility and audience that comes from a
review in PF?
I am not quoting selectively here either in an effort to make any of this information look
ridiculous. The actual “white papers,” product information, and reviews do a far better
job of raising questions about these products than I could ever do. See above.
The truth is that I hate to even mention these items for fear that doing so gives them
credibility. I think these products are pure, unadulterated charlatanism***. The
“scientific explanations” given for these products’ efficacies are all vague to the point
of being total devoid of any actual information. The reader is expected to take
questionable assertions as statements of unquestioned scientific fact.
Obviously, I have not tried any of the Machina Dynamica or Belt items. I am appalled
that they even exist and am indisputably guilty of making my mind up about them
without giving them the benefit of even hearing them. The truth is that even if MD and
PWB were willing to lend me these items to listen to, I wouldn’t spend the time. I have
better things to do.
And I hope you do, too. Have a safe 4th of July.
Kent Johnson
June 30, 2006
*By the same reviewer(s).
**And sell for $199 each. If these items were inexpensive, they wouldn’t bother me.
And that bothers me. Taking a $10 digital clock, “treating” it, then reselling it for $199
is outrageous in my view since I don’t believe any value is added to it. If it resold for
$19.99, though, I wouldn’t care. Yet it would be just as dubious. Am I being
inconsistent? But, if it sold for only $19.99, no audiophile would bother to buy it. So
asking $199 gives it credibility. Is it really about the money and not the music? I’m
getting a headache here.
***from the Italian village of Cerreto, famous for its quacks.
I was looking around the Audiogon web site a few weeks back and happened to click
on “Tweaks.” In retrospect, I sort of regret doing so.
I came upon several auctions for products from a company called “Machina
Dynamica.” Machina Dynamica, as I understand it, makes products under license
from a company called PWB Electronics. Anyone recall Peter Belt?
Is he back or did he just never leave?
I no longer have any magazines in my archives old enough to include articles referring
to Mr. Belt, so I searched the Stereophile website under “Peter Belt.” A number of
articles came up from the late 1980s and early 1990s and anyone who hasn’t read
them should take a moment to do so. Read L’Affaire Belt by J. Gordon Holt and you
will have a good idea of what Mr. Belt was doing at the time and the controversy that
ensued.
Image my surprise, then, to find items from Mr. Belt--via Machina Dynamica--currently
being offered on Audiogon. These products include the Clever Little Clock that
changes the sound within the room, Brilliant Pebbles, which are small glass jars full of
crystalline semi-precious stones that suck up excess acoustic energy, and Tru Tone
Covers, which are replacement duplex receptacle covers. Using the information link in
the auction information, I discovered what has become my favorite tweak, the Red ‘x’
Coordinate Pen. More information on these products, and others, as well as reviews,
can be found at www.belt.demon.co.uk. And unfortunately, also at the Positive
Feedback web site where I found at least two favorable reviews of these items*. Here
is a direct quote from the pen review at:
www.positive-feedback.com/Issue1/beltpen.htm
“Yes, dear reader, the pen works, and works brilliantly! Let me describe what I did, what I heard, and
more importantly, what an unsuspecting outside party heard when I performed my experiments. As
with any such phenomenon, hearing for yourself is believing. Do not discount what you are about to
read unless you are ready to try it yourself. According to the literature I received, the simplest way to
prove the efficacy of the pen is to sign your name on the outside cover of a compact disc. You use
your normal signature, and write it like this: Carol Clark > o.k. You need to include the "o.k." to
transfer beneficial thought patterns from yourself to the written message. I scoured my CD
collection, and found a CD I have two copies of, the La Femme Nikita soundtrack. Prior to altering
either of them, I listened to both to determine if they sounded the same, and they did. I set one
aside, and wrote my signature followed by "> o.k." on the case of the second one. You can also sign
the label side of the CD, and this will work with an LP as well, either by signing the jacket or the
label.
I chose a track from that CD that I am very familiar with, the song called "Gun" by the band GusGus.
(Incidentally, this soundtrack is from the television series, not the French movie.) When I listened to
both copies of the CD again, the results were so startling that I wrote detailed notes. Vocals on the
unsigned copy were hard and plastic sounding, and the high notes were razor sharp. I found myself
totally distracted, wishing for the song to end. The treated CD, on the other hand, provided beautiful,
mellow-sounding vocals. The high notes throughout were subdued, which enabled me to
concentrate on the music. I found the experience enjoyable. As in my earlier Peter Belt experiments,
I assumed I was subject to the power of suggestion. I was afraid that I had set myself up to hear
what I heard, and that I wanted to hear the treated CD in a positive light. This is where I called on my
unwitting accomplice, Dave. I used the eraser pen that was provided and erased my signature from
the case, thus letting him hear both untreated copies of the CD so he could satisfy himself that they
indeed sounded the same. I chose a different song, "Hanging On a Curtain" by Morphine, since it is
a song he is more familiar with. I gave him the red pen and asked him to sign his name, then
whisked both CDs away, out of his sight. We then talked for a few minutes, so that his mind would
turn away from the CDs. I played the treated CD first, and when it was done he indicated that it
sounded very good. The untreated CD went in next, and he almost immediately told me that it
sounded worse.”
>O.K.
Call me lacking in beneficial thought patterns but if the untreated CD sounded
identical to the treated CD before treatment and then sounded like crap after, wouldn’t
every other CD she owns now sound like crap, too? What if the CD wasn’t in the case
when she wrote on it? Would it still get treated? Why would erasing the CD case
un-treat the CD when removing the CD from the case to place it in the CD player
doesn’t affect it? Does reading this review make you want to laugh, cry, or both?
This review also includes a manufacturer’s response from a May Belt who suggests
that striking through the UPC codes with the Red ‘x’ Coordinate Pen on “any type of
product you find within your home” will further improve the sound of your audio
system. (I am assuming she is referring to an audio system here.) She notes, “You
will find the effect of doing so extraordinary.” She also suggests that writing the “o.k.”
in capital letters will make the improvement even greater. No I am not making this up.
How can anyone find any of this credible?
I should note here that I did not search the PF website for any letters, comments, or
other information regarding this review. I don’t know if PF spent any time defending,
disowning, or otherwise following up on it. I have mixed feelings regarding PF for
running this review. On the one hand, no matter what I, or anyone else, think about
this product, putting a review out there for everyone to read and draw their own
conclusions about is an intellectually honest thing to do. On the other hand, if I claim
that hitting each of my CDs with a special brick that only I know how to modify**
improves the sound, do I really deserve the credibility and audience that comes from a
review in PF?
I am not quoting selectively here either in an effort to make any of this information look
ridiculous. The actual “white papers,” product information, and reviews do a far better
job of raising questions about these products than I could ever do. See above.
The truth is that I hate to even mention these items for fear that doing so gives them
credibility. I think these products are pure, unadulterated charlatanism***. The
“scientific explanations” given for these products’ efficacies are all vague to the point
of being total devoid of any actual information. The reader is expected to take
questionable assertions as statements of unquestioned scientific fact.
Obviously, I have not tried any of the Machina Dynamica or Belt items. I am appalled
that they even exist and am indisputably guilty of making my mind up about them
without giving them the benefit of even hearing them. The truth is that even if MD and
PWB were willing to lend me these items to listen to, I wouldn’t spend the time. I have
better things to do.
And I hope you do, too. Have a safe 4th of July.
Kent Johnson
June 30, 2006
*By the same reviewer(s).
**And sell for $199 each. If these items were inexpensive, they wouldn’t bother me.
And that bothers me. Taking a $10 digital clock, “treating” it, then reselling it for $199
is outrageous in my view since I don’t believe any value is added to it. If it resold for
$19.99, though, I wouldn’t care. Yet it would be just as dubious. Am I being
inconsistent? But, if it sold for only $19.99, no audiophile would bother to buy it. So
asking $199 gives it credibility. Is it really about the money and not the music? I’m
getting a headache here.
***from the Italian village of Cerreto, famous for its quacks.
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